realtek duplex question

my HP media center has an integrated realtek sound card - i can’t get duplex operation on it no matter how i set the audio devices.

any realtek users out there have any suggestions - or if you know for sure that the integrated realtek does not support duplex just let me know. i can’t find any specific info on the web. also HP specs for my PC (the m8000n) does not tell me anything about the exact model of the realtek device on the mother board.

thx/ al

Realtek is usually an AC97 comp chip. Search for “Intel AC97”. SoundMax and many others are about the same. They are very low priced (less than $5) and suitable for making cheap motherboards with onboard sound. Quality is usually borderline, but they usually work OK.

The realtek is full dupex. This should be totally invisible to the user. What’s the symptom that tells you it’s not?

I disabled my media center, and installed a delta 1010.
I’m sorry it’s been yrs and don’t remember the process.
I remember that it wasn’t exactly easy. This comp just came out of storage, was stored for close to 3 yrs. It went into storage a good 1 1/2 after I installed the delta drivers.
I haven’t seen or missed anything about the media center.
I wanted a DAW.
Levi

Quote: (phoo @ Jan. 25 2009, 5:30 PM)

Realtek is usually an AC97 comp chip. Search for "Intel AC97". SoundMax and many others are about the same. They are very low priced (less than $5) and suitable for making cheap motherboards with onboard sound. Quality is usually borderline, but they usually work OK.

The realtek is full dupex. This should be totally invisible to the user. What's the symptom that tells you it's not?

whether i'm laying down my initial track or overdubbing i can't hear the instrument being recorded through the speakers or headphones.

but i can hear any track already recorded just fine.

Open the Realtek mixer, can’t remember which tab, but you’ll have to increase volume on playback of input, maybe it’s the “line in” tab.

Quote: (Zay @ Jan. 25 2009, 6:56 PM)

Open the Realtek mixer, can't remember which tab, but you'll have to increase volume on playback of input, maybe it's the "line in" tab.

yep checked that

it was all the way up - however i went back a looked at more "stuff" and foud a "boost" slider - using this i was able to hear the playback somewhat - but by using the boost the recording of the playback was distorted.

that proves the duplexabilty.

i'll keep fiddling.

thanx

Your problem has nothing to do with duplex. Sounds like a monitoring issue. Full Duplex means it can record and playback at the same time. You just can’t hear what you are recording while it’s recording. This is actually pretty normal for many cards.

You will need to monitor what you are recording via another way (external mixer possibly), or use the Live Button and be stuck with hearing latency (not usually acceptable). I don’t remember but I don’t think the Realtek has a built in way to pass what’s going to the input directly out the output like many other cards – many better cards offer better software mixers and monitoring.

Sorry this isn’t terribly helpful, but at least I think I understand the issue. Someone else with a Realtek may have better suggestion about monitoring with that chip. I’ve got one on my work machine, but keep it disabled most of the time, and don’t have a mixer app installed for it that will do monitoring that way.

Give us more details on your actual set-up, which jacks your using on the PC and to what and so forth.

What is your OS? Many Mfgs disabled duplex operation of onboard sound in VISTA via the driver. If Vista is your OS there is a registry hack out there on the web somwhere that works. Another sign of a limited/disabled driver is the inablility to “Record What You Hear” from the net.

Besides the hack you might try ASIO4ALL as your driver.

to all

thanks - this is a great site!!!

with y'alls help, i have affirmed that the duplex is not disabled on mine - but the volume capacity is limited. i was able to achieve more volume for monitoring while overdubbing using an external device between my guitar and the sound card mic input. i tried the direct input too. not much difference.

btw, the OS is vista and i finally figured out that the integrated sound card was not an AC97 - but a realtek high def audio card. yes that is the card model and has different drivers than the AC97. i found 2009 updated drivers at realtek.com and updated mine - did not help the volume issue.

yes a mixer would work wonders – as would a USB or firewire interface – I'm leaning towards the tascam 122L so hopefully i won’t require using the realtek (crap) card very soon.

But for now i’d like to at least lay down some rhythm tracks for a few songs and the card will let me do that. any overdubbing will be minimal - but now possible too.

thanks again.

AH! Realtek HD Audio…that is indeed a differnet chip. I know little about that one unfortunatly. Sorry to cornfuse things.

your advice got me way past where i was - i appreciate it immensely!

For Vista, right click on the little speeker icon Choose
“Recording Devices”,
"playback tab"
click and highlight "speakers"
click "properties"
click "Levells tab"
adjust to suite.
Click the advanced tab to pick your soundcard before you adjust levells.
go to nTracks settings audio devices, to see the same soundcard in and out. good luck, hope this works with the media center

Yep, got 2 HP machines here, can’t remember but, you may have WaveRT Drivers for the HD cards, nTrack can use those drivers, it’d be worth a try until you can get the Tascam. Not saying it would help with the monitoring but may be worth a try. Supposed to be lower latency drivers also.

get the tascam. period.

Yup. ^^^^ that ^^^^…

Then one day you’ll go “Gee, what are these weird looking jacks labeled MIDI In/Out?” Schedule a few MORE weeks of hair pulling and gear sniping… LOL… :laugh:

D

Quote: (Zay @ Jan. 26 2009, 12:30 PM)

Yep, got 2 HP machines here, can't remember but, you may have WaveRT Drivers for the HD cards, nTrack can use those drivers, it'd be worth a try until you can get the Tascam. Not saying it would help with the monitoring but may be worth a try. Supposed to be lower latency drivers also.

thanks - the RT drivers did weird stuff - took them out quickly!
Quote: (Poppa Willis @ Jan. 26 2009, 12:37 PM)

get the tascam. period.

yep - i think that's the ticket :agree:

scarfed up a new tascam 122L on eBay - it will be here this tuesday!